The Tale of Harecules
by johnw57
Summary: Zootopian characters in the Herculean universe, taking the roles of Hercules, Meg, and Phil in a mashup of an old but fun classic. Plot line remains much the same. Credit for the Hercules AU to Trashasaurusrex and Judylavernehopps. Cover image by the incredible Trashasaurusrex
1. Hades' Revenge

Long ago, the world was ruled by almighty powers. Merciless, omnipotent, capricious beings full of arrogance. These hateful Titans ruled unchallenged, preying upon the land and it's denizens, draining it of resources and leaving their subjects to starve and die while they sat in the luxury of their realms, leaving only to sow more terror among the land. But that would soon change. These beings, while almost invincible, made one tragic mistake. One careless, unconsidered action which brought about their downfall. They reproduced. Except, their offspring was different, unlike them, possessing fur, teeth, and claws, the aspects of ordinary mammals, but the powers of their parents. These Titans soon realized their mistake, but it was too late. Their children, led by the mighty lion Zeus, cast them out. They locked their parents in a pit of inescapable darkness entombed beneath the ocean floor and deep in the underworld: Tartarus. Not only were the Titans incapable of breaking free from their prison, Tartarus was only accessible when all the planets aligned, and then only for a few moments. The Titans had fallen and their children became the Gods, far more benevolent and kind beings, happy to help their subjects so long as an appropriate sacrifice was made. However, much like their parents, the Gods made several mistakes. The worst of which was that of Zeus, the fearless leader who finally cast out the Titans. As the eldest of his three brothers and the most powerful, he christened himself lord of the skies, the most powerful of the gods. He gifted the domain of the ocean to his brother Poseidon, who was a mighty sea lion and greatly appreciated his brother's gift. And then there was Hades. The runt. The baby. The weird one. Hades' domain was to be the underworld, a dark and desolate place where the souls of the dead gathered in droves, forever circling in a bottomless pool. Zeus and the rest of the Gods receded to the heavens to build Mount Olympus, an inspiring and wondrous edifice that was beautiful beyond comprehension. Hades was left to the Underworld. To his dark palace. To his schemes. He vowed revenge upon his brothers and the other gods for the way that they had wronged him. He would take his revenge and bring about the downfall of the Gods! And much like the Titans, it all began with a child.

* * *

Zeus looked down fondly at the little bunny laying in the crib.

"I guess you take after your mother," He said, tickling the kit's stomach with the tip of his claw, "Don't you sweetheart?" Hera rushed up to him and pulled his paw away from the sleeping kit.

"Don't wake her Zeus!" His wife hissed, "Do you know how hard it is to get her to sleep?" Zeus just smiled at her, admiring the beautiful, glowing bunny. He draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

"That's our daughter." He whispered softly, enchanted by the sleeping bunny, "What should we name her." Hera leaned against Zeus and thought for a moment.

"I like Judy." She said quietly. Zeus frowned.

"Judy isn't really a god's name is it? What about Harecules? Now that's a god's name!"

"She isn't just a god Zeus." Hera scolded, "She's also our daughter."

"Ok how about this," He began, "We'll name her Judy, and the mortals can call her Harecules."

"Alright." Hera replied with a smile, "You've got yourself a deal." Zeus chuckled and pulled a medallion out of his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Hera asked curiously as Zeus began tracing his finger over the back of the medallion. He smiled and held it up for her to see. On one side was a storm cloud and lighting bolt. The sign of Zeus. But on the other side was an engraved name: Judy. Zeus bent over and placed the amulet gently around the Judy's neck. He stood back up and he and Hera watched Judy sleep for a few more minutes.

"Good night Judy." Hera whispered as they left the room, "We'll see you tomorrow morning."

"So will everyone else." Zeus remarked after they had left the room, "Everyone's excited for the party."

"What party?" Hera said sharply, "Why is there a party?"

"We have to celebrate Judy's birthday dear!" Zeus defended himself, "The god's have to meet their next queen!"

"Fine." Hera muttered sourly, "But you better stay away from the Muses!"

* * *

The next day began with the one thing even the gods couldn't avoid. Traffic. The lines to enter Mount Olympus stretched the height of the mountain, with every god and magical being eager to meet the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Of course, at the very top of the mountain, the birthday party was in full swing. All of the major gods were already on Mount Olympus and the festivities had started as soon as possible. Judy's crib was placed on the pedestal of honor, which quickly became surrounded by a mountain of gifts that grew with the coming of each guest. Zeus eyed some of the gifts that the other gods brought nervously. Athena, a wily arctic fox, had brought a helm of wisdom, meant to bestow craftiness and intelligence upon its wearer. Poseidon had brought a seashell that allowed Judy to breath under water so she could visit her uncle's kingdom. Even Dionysus, that lazy little sloth, brought her a bottomless golden chalice! Zeus began to feel self-conscious and upstaged at his own party. Until he had an idea.

"Ladies and Gentlemammals," He projected, the crowd quieting instantly, "Thank you all for coming to celebrate the birth of my daughter Judy. And thank you all for your generous gifts to her. And with that in mind, I would like you all to behold the gift I have for her."

With that, Zeus began to pull wisps of cloud from the air, creating the rough outline of an unknown creature. His brow furrowed in concentration, Zeus shaped two wings and four spindly legs, the cloud beginning to take shape. With one final manipulation, Zeus released his power and the cloud formation solidified and became a winged horse.

"This is Pegasus." Zeus said proudly, holding the strange creature aloft for all to see, "He will serve as a friend and guide to my daughter and will carry her wherever she needs to go." The assembled gods let out hollers of appreciation while they applauded Zeus's work and Pegasus let out a yawn and unfurled his feathery wings, earning further applause from the crowd. Zeus smiled to himself and put Pegasus in the crib besides Judy. The baby bunny regarded the strange creature curiously. And then head-butted it with all her might. The assemblage giggled as Pegasus rocked backwards dizzily, only to return the head-butt just as hard. Judy gurgled and grabbed Pegasus by the neck, hugging him tightly causing him to gasp for air. All the gods watched silently as the two friends met for the first time. But the moment was suddenly broken by a lone god clapping.

"What an adorable little thing!"

Everyone turned to face the newcomer and gasped. Standing there, in dark, grey robes, his head wreathed in a halo of unearthly blue flames, was Hades.

"Hades!" Zeus shouted happily, "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Oh yeah, wouldn't miss it." The jet-black leopard replied disinterestedly, studying his claws, "How is the little monster."

"See for yourself!" Zeus said, motioning for Hades to come up on the dais. Hades sighed and began strolling through the crowd of gods, who quickly made an aisle to accommodate the lord of the Underworld.

"Sheesh guys, you'd think I was the grim reaper!" Hades joked, watching all the gods pull away. He smirked as the crowd laughed nervously. He ascended to where Judy was lying in her crib and pulled a spiky rattle out of his pocket, throwing it to the kit.

"Say Hades," Zeus said nervously, "what's that rattle made of?"

"Oh you know the usual." He replied absentmindedly, "Some bone, a condemned soul or two, maybe some other things." Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Anyways, what's the little sucker's name?

"Well I wanted to name her Harecules," Zeus began, "But Hera wanted to name her Judy. So it's Harecules to the mortals and Judy to the gods."

"Harecules?!" Hades scoffed, poking at Judy with a digit, "Where'd you come up with that? She's a little, tiny—" Hades yowled in pain as Judy grabbed his paw and squeezed.

"She may be a bunny," Zeus chuckled as Hades wrested his mangled paw from the baby, "but she has the strength of a lion."

"Clearly." Hades replied sullenly, massaging his wounded paw.

"But how are things in the Underworld?" Zeus asked cheerfully, throwing an arm around Hades.

"Well, they're just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people!" He responded, earning a roar of laughter from Zeus.

"But I really should be going now." Hades continued, extricating himself from Zeus's grasp, "Unlike the rest of you, I've got real work to do."

"Alright then." Zeus said, patting Hades on the back, "Don't work yourself too hard there kiddo."

"You got it." Hades replied, turning away and walking towards the exit.

"And don't be a stranger Hades!" Zeus shouted after him.

"Oh I'll see you all soon enough." Hades muttered under his breath, "Just you wait."

* * *

Hades stormed into his palace.

"Pain! Panic!" He barked angrily, "Come here! I have a job for you!"

"Coming your deathliness!" Panic, a scruffy weasel, shouted from the top of the stairs. He scurried down, followed closely by the greasy, chubby raccoon that was Pain.

"The Fates are here sir." Pain panted, skidding to a halt besides Panic, "They're waiting in the antechamber." The wreath of fire around Hades' head exploded into a raging inferno.

"THE FATES ARE HERE AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME IMMEDIATELY!" He roared. Hades unsheathed both of his claws and stormed by Pain and Panic, slashing them each as he passed. He walked up the stairs and into the antechamber.

"Ladies!" Hades said cheerfully, "You look fantastic!" The three ewes turned to face him and Hades stifled his gag reflex as he beheld them. Their wool was dirty and unkempt, their horns were chipped and broken, their faces were gray and sagging, but the worst was their eyes. Or rather, their lack of eyes. The Fates only had one eye and one tooth. Total.

"Don't try to butter us up Hades." One of them croaked, "We know what you're doing."

"Oh just let him say what he wants to." Another one interrupted, "It's not like we get complimented every day."

"Quiet! Both of you!" The third Fate commanded, "Now Hades," She began, fixing him with her one-eyed stare, "why did you call us here?"

"Ah yes. That." He said with a nervous laugh, "You may recall that you once gave me a prophecy, about how I might release the Titans and overthrow the Gods?" The Fates gave no reaction. "Right, well I need to know if the birth of darling little Harecules is going to change that." The Fate in possession of the eye nodded at Hades and the three ewes joined hands. The eyeball popped out of her head and levitated to the middle of the room, becoming a vision of the future. The vision showed Hades leading the Titans to a resounding victory and becoming the ruler of all, but was quickly replaced by the image of Harecules riding Pegasus.

"If Harecules fights, you shall fail." The Fates said in unison. Suddenly, vision began to spin rapidly, and the three Fates were sucked into it, and disappeared with an audible popping noise.

Hades exploded into an inferno of rage.

"I'VE BEEN PLANNING THIS FOR A MILLENNIA!" He shouted, blasting the walls with fire, "AND THEY TELL ME ZEUS' BRAT IS GOING TO RUIN IT!" Hades stood fuming, and then took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Not. Going. To happen." He growled viciously. "PAIN! PANIC! FOLLOW ME!"

"Coming sir!" Pain shouted, stumbling after the swiftly moving panther. Hades stalked deeper into his palace, finally throwing open the door to a dark stone corridor. He sped down the corridor, Pain and Panic sprinting to keep up, and emerged in a small room, with a glowing vial of purple liquid in the center. Hades picked it up and turned to face his two minions.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked, a strange smile on his face. Pain and Panic shook their head uncertainly.

"This," He said, tapping the vial with a claw, "is poison. Or more specifically, God poison. It can turn any god mortal." Hades began to cackle.

"Is he ok?" Panic whispered to Pain.

"I'm fine." Hades responded, smiling gleefully, "Because you two are going to break into Mount Olympus, turn Harecules mortal, and kill her." Pain and Panic exchanged terrified expressions while Hades began giggling.

"Uh, sir," Panic began timidly, "what if we get caught?"

"You won't be." Hades said, his voice getting dangerously quiet, "Now take this vial and make sure that brat drinks every last drop. Then kill her." Pain took the vial and gulped nervously.

"GO!" Hades shouted, causing both mammals to turn and run, "AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL THAT BUNNY IS DEAD!"

* * *

Pain and Panic sprouted bat wings and flew up Mount Olympus in the dead of night, stealing into the palace without a sound. The crept inside Judy's room and pulled out two canvas bags. Pain mercilessly shoved Pegasus into one of the bags, tying off the top and throwing it back in the crib and Panic wrestled the bunny kit into the other. Pain opened the window and the two flew out the window, supporting the weight of Judy between the two of them. Zeus and Hera heard the commotion and rushed into the room too late, only finding an open window and an empty crib.

"NOOOOOOO!" Zeus roared, and the sky flashed with thunder and lightning as the god of the sky unleashed his fury.

Pain and Panic flew through the now howling winds, dodging the frequent lightning strikes as they headed towards the ground. They dodged a mountain peak and crash-landed in a rocky canyon, the canvas bag that held Judy splitting open in the process. Pain jumped to his feet and Panic shoved the vial into his hand.

"Quickly!" He urged, "Before the gods find us!" Pain uncorked the vial and rushed towards the bunny kit, bringing the poison to her lips and forcing her to drink.

"Hurry, Hurry!" Panic yelled.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Pain retorted, watching as the glow of the gods began to fade from Judy's frame. "C'mon." He muttered, tipping the vial further up, "Just drink it."

"Someone's coming!" Panic yelled. Pain tipped the vial higher, watching as the last drops flowed into the bunny's mouth.

"Almost done!" He shot back, looking over his shoulder at Panic, "And…. Done!" He let the vial fall from his grasp and it shattered on the ground. Pain and Panic dove for cover as two bunnies rounded the corner. The couple walked up to the abandoned kit and searched for signs of who she was. The only thing they could find was the amulet engraved with Zeus' sigil.

"A gift from the gods!" Amphitryon said joyfully, "Alcmene, the gods have gifted us a daughter." The two bunnies began crying with joy while Pain and Panic lurked in the bushes.

"She drank all of it, right?" Panic asked in an undertone. Pain nodded.

"Then let's finish the brat off." He whispered, turning into a snake. Pain followed his lead and the two slithered out from behind the rock where they'd been hiding and moved to attack Judy. But unbeknownst to Pain, in his haste, Judy's mouth overflowed and a drop spilled on the ground, so she retained her godly strength. The two bunnies saw the snakes and jumped back in terror, watching as they neared the apparently defenseless kit. Panic moved to strike, but Judy grabbed him and Pain and tied the two snakes in a knot, swung them in a circle, and hurled them over the mountain. Amphitryon and Alcmene exchanged shocked looks. Maybe this wasn't an ordinary kit.

* * *

Pain and Panic landed a mile away and shifted back to their normal forms.

"Hades is going to kill us!" Panic shouted in fear.

"Unless, he never finds out." Pain said with a sly smile. Panic looked at him in confusion and then realized what he was saying.

"You're right." He said slowly, a grin appearing on his face, "Unless he never finds out."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I decided to start writing something for the Hercules au that was created by Trashasaurusrex and Judylavernehopps. I hope you guys like it!**


	2. The Journey Begins

Hera and Zeus loved their daughter dearly, but sadly, only gods were allowed to live on Mount Olympus. So they watched from afar as baby Judy grew up believing Amphitryon to be her father and Alcmene her mother.

* * *

"Judy!" Amphitryon shouted as the cart careened down the path, "Slow down!"

"Sorry dad!" She shouted over her shoulder, continuing to pull the cart at breakneck speed. They went over a pothole, causing carrots to go flying out of the wagon and Amphitryon to bounce out of his seat and back into the cart.

"Judy!" He yelled from the bed of the wagon, "Slow down!"

"We're almost there!" She shouted back, ignoring his frantic shouts. They flew over the crest of the next hill and thundered down towards the agora, their speed creating panic at the entryway. Mammals dived out of the way as Judy thundered through the entrance, clipping the pillar on the side and knocking a workmammal off the top of the structure.

"Sorry!" Judy yelled as they flew by. Judy jumped in the air and dug the heels of her paws into the ground to slow them down, creating a slipstream of dirt and dust behind them. The cart slid the length of the marketplace, coming to a stop just in front of the columns at the end. Judy put the cart handles down and turned to face Amphitryon, who was clambering out of the wagon bed.

"Sorry dad." She said sheepishly, "I thought I had it under control."

"It's ok dear." He said, rubbing his now sore backside, "Just watch the cart for a minute while I look around." Judy nodded her head and plopped down on the cart's seat, annoyed at herself for getting out of control. A few moments after she sat down, a discus skidded across the ground and landed at her feet, quickly followed by a group of young mammals.

"Hey could you toss that here?" The hyena asked.

"Do you guys need someone else to play?" Judy asked eagerly, springing to her paws and picking up the discus.

"Oh, uh, hey Judy." He replied awkwardly, "Well we already have five and want to keep it an even number so…" The hyena snatched the discus from her paws and sprinted the other way, his friends racing after him.

"What an idiot!" She heard them laughing to each other in the distance. Judy sighed and sat back down on the cart, her ears drooping behind her. She looked up and noticed Demetrius, a large cape buffalo, having trouble balancing his vases and she rushed over to help him.

"Need some help?" Judy asked, steadying the enormous vase in his arms before it could fall.

"Oh thank you!" He replied gratefully, "I almost— Judy!" He shouted, finally getting a look at his helper, "No I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" She asked, "I'm happy to—"

"No, no, no, I'm alright." He insisted, "You should just go wait for your father."

"Ok." She replied, discouraged by his dismissal. Judy turned around and began trudging back towards the carrot cart while Demetrius continued to struggle.

"Watch out!" The hyena yelled suddenly. Judy looked up and saw the discus flying up and over her head, flying towards the edge of the market.

"I got it!" She said excitedly, running after the runaway discus and leaping into the air to grab it. Judy felt a thrill of elation go through her as her paws closed around the flying disk, but her momentum carried her into one of the massive stone columns that supported the marketplace. She crashed into it with a sickening crunch and slid down to the base.

"Oh no." She whispered as the column began to sway, "Please don't fall, please don't fall, please don't fall." She pleaded, grabbing the column and trying to steady it with her incredible strength. The column began to stabilize and Judy let it go with a sigh of relief. She turned around and walked back towards the cart, but froze when she heard a loud grinding followed by a series of crashes. She turned around and watched as each column toppled the next like a line of dominoes, decimating the entirety of the marketplace. With each successive crash Judy winced and shrunk a little, until all that was left was Demetrius' vase shop.

"You freak!" He roared across the now destroyed marketplace, marching out of his shop towards the cowering bunny, "Look what you did! You almost destroyed my shop!"

"I tried to stop it." Judy said weakly, a crowd beginning to gather around her, "I thought I had, but I guess that—"

"You guess that what?" The hyena taunted, "You guess that you ruined everything? You guess that you destroyed the marketplace? You guess that you almost killed everyone?"

"Enough!" Amphitryon shouted, walking up to the angry crowd, "She's only a child! She doesn't know her own strength!"

"She's a menace!" Demetrius shouted back, "And if you ever want to sell your produce here again, she will never come back to this marketplace." Amphitryon opened his mouth to defend her but Judy placed a paw on his arm.

"They're right dad." She said sadly, looking down at the ground, "Let's just go." Amphitryon let out a sigh as he watched his daughter trudge back to the cart, pick it up, and head home. He glared at the assembled crowd and followed Judy out of the market.

* * *

Judy walked out of the house and up the hill to her favorite tree, sitting down and leaning against its enormous trunk.

"Judy?" Amphitryon asked, appearing at the top of the hill, "Are you ok?"

"No." She said miserably, refusing to look at her father, "Everything I do, I screw up! Nobody likes me, and sometimes I just feel that I'm out of place! That I'm not where I'm meant to be." Amphitryon nodded and sat down next to her.

"You know, it's ok to mess things up." He responded, "Messing up is how you learn. Do you think I was always a perfect child?" He chuckled, "But Judy, don't let the world keep you from being who you truly are. Just keep trying and doing your best." He put an arm around her shoulder and Judy looked at him, teary-eyed but smiling.

"Now there's something your mother and I have to tell you." He said nervously after a few minutes, getting to his paws, "And I think it will help you make sense of what you're feeling right now." Judy clambered to her paws and wiped her nose on the edge of her tunic. She followed Amphitryon back down to the house where Alcmene was waiting anxiously in the main room.

"Is something wrong?" Judy asked, worried by her parents expressions. Alcmene shook her head.

"No dear, it's just that we have to tell you something that we should've told you a long time ago and we're scared that it might go badly." She replied with tears in her eyes.

"Nothing you could ever say would make me stop loving you." Judy assured her, wondering what secret could possibly be so monumental.

"Judy," Amphitryon began, "you're not our daughter."

"Wait, what?" She responded, dumbstruck, "But why—"

"We found you abandoned when you were a kit." Alcmene interrupted, "We weren't able to have children and prayed to the gods for help, and then one day, we found you. All by yourself in the middle of a canyon, like a gift from the gods."

"But I don't understand, why're you telling me this now? What does it mean?" Judy asked. Amphitryon walked over to a chest in corner and pulled a bundle of cloth out of it.

"This was around your neck when we found you." He said heavily, handing her the package. Judy unwrapped it to find a gleaming gold medallion with her name carved into the back. She turned it over and jumped in surprise.

"The symbol of the gods." Amphitryon said while Judy gazed at the medallion, enraptured by it.

"I can find out where I belong." Judy said slowly, a smile growing on her face, "I can go to the Temple of Zeus and find out where I'm really from, I can—" She stopped as she noticed the sad smiles on her adoptive parent's faces and realized what leaving would mean.

"I'm really going to miss you guys." She said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Go." Alcmene whispered as they hugged her, "Find out where you belong and come back to us if you can." Judy just nodded, returning the hug as tears streamed down her face.

"Wow." She said, pulling away and wiping her face off, "I'm really doing this."

"Stay safe dear." Amphitryon said sadly, handing her a knapsack full of food. Judy looked down at the knapsack, then back at her parents.

"Thank you." She uttered, torn between her love for her parents and a desire to find out who she truly was, "I'll be back someday." With that, Judy left the only home she had known for eighteen years, heading off on her journey to the Temple of Zeus.

"I can finally find where I belong!" She whispered to herself, hardly daring to believe it, "I won't be the freak anymore, I can make my life mean something!" Judy laughed aloud, feeling the most lighthearted that she ever had.

"Next stop," She crowed, "the Temple of Zeus!"

* * *

Judy entered the temple with trepidation, looking for traces of any other mammal in the cavernous building. At the end of the structure was an enormous statue of Zeus, seated upon a massive stone throne. Judy approached the statue warily, noticing the same sigil on the statue that was on her medallion.

"Lord Zeus?" Judy asked, kneeling before the statue, "I—" She was interrupted as a bolt of lightning shot from the sky and hit the statue. The stone softened and the statue gave her a craggy smile as the braziers in the temple ignited.

"Judy!" It boomed, spreading both of its arms wide, "It's so good to see you!" Judy immediately bolted for the exit.

"Oh come on," It said, plucking her off the ground like a bug, "That's no way to greet your father is it?"

"Father?!" Judy exclaimed, "How?! You're a lion and I'm a bunny!"

"Well your mother's a bunny too!" Zeus explained with a huge smile, "You take after her, but you've always had my strength!" He opened his paw and let Judy stand normally on the palm of his paw.

"My father is Zeus." She muttered to herself, pacing back and forth on the stone paw, "My father is Zeus! But wait," She began, furrowing her brow in thought, "if your my father and Hera's my mother, wouldn't that make me—"

"A God." Zeus completed solemnly, "Or you would've been one."

"What does that mean?" Judy asked in distress, "And why did you abandon me?!"

"We didn't abandon you dear." Zeus said tenderly, "You were stolen from us and rendered mortal by some foul means. And mortals can't live on Mount Olympus."

"So I can never be where I truly belong." She uttered, each word dripping with disappointment. Zeus let out a hearty laugh, causing Judy to look up at him in confusion.

"What you once had can be taken back." He explained happily, "If you prove yourself a true hero, you will be restored as a god and can finally join us on Mount Olympus!"

"But how do I become a true hero?" She asked despondently.

"You must seek out Finnicktetes." Zeus instructed, "He trained all the great heroes of old and he will train you as well." Judy nodded and mouthed, " _Find Finnicktetes"_ to herself.

"Wait!" Zeus shouted, "Before I forget, there's an old friend of yours that can help you on your journey." The statue let out a long, piercing whistle and one of the stars in the sky streaked towards them. As it got closer, Judy saw that it was a flying horse!

"Is that—"

"Pegasus." Zeus confirmed as he landed, "The greatest steed ever created."

"I thought he was just a dream." Judy muttered as Pegasus nickered in greeting. She rubbed her paw along his neck and looked back at the statue of Zeus.

"I'll find Finnicktetes father. And I will become a true hero!"

"That's my girl!" He shouted. Judy hopped onto Pegasus' back and the pair flew out of the temple. Zeus watched them go and then removed his presence from the temple, turning the statue back to stone and extinguishing the braziers.

* * *

Judy and Pegasus landed on the island that was reputed to be the home of Finnicktetes.

"It looks deserted." Judy said softly, surveying the foggy landscape. Pegasus whinnied his agreement and pointed a hoof towards what appeared to be the head of a large statue. Judy approached it and noticed an open door where the mouth of the statue would be. She started towards it, but then heard giggling coming from the woods to her left. She crept towards the noise and peeked through the bushes to find one of the strangest sights she had ever encountered. Lounging around a tiny pond were three female mammals unlike any Judy had ever seen. Their fur was streaked with blues, purples, and reds, and they glowed with a faint light. Judy pulled her head back and shook it in disbelief, trying to make sense of what she had just seen. She then noticed a tiny fox watching the creatures a few yards away.

"Hey little buddy!" Judy shouted, "Are you lost?"

"Be quiet!" The fox barked in a deep bass, "Oh gods!" He yelled as the creatures noticed him and ran away. He chased after them, but each one escaped, the last one dissolving into a pile of flowers just before he caught her.

"Thanks lady." He spat venomously, "You just ruined my chances with those nymphs!"

"Uh, are you Finnicktetes?" Judy asked uncertainly. The fennec fox picked an apple off the ground and bit into it.

"Call me Finn." He said, his reply muffled by the apple.

"Great!" Judy exclaimed, "I need you to train me to be a hero." The fennec glanced at the bunny.

"Not interested." He responded, walking back towards the statue head.

"But you trained all the other great heroes." Judy protested, "Why not me?"

"Two words." He said, stopping in the open door, "I am retired." With that, Finn grabbed the door and slammed it shut in her face.

"Give me a chance!" Judy pleaded, grabbing the door and accidentally tearing it off its hinges. Finn, who was still holding onto the door, let go and fell to the ground, glaring at the bunny.

"Sorry." She said hurriedly, placing the door back on its hinges.

"You know what kid," Finn fumed, "come in here, let me show you something." Judy followed the fennec inside the statue's head, ducking through the low doorway and under a beam of wood.

"You see all this kid?" Finn asked, gesturing at all the weapons, trophies, and mementos in the room, "My life's work was training heroes and this is all I have. Memories of failures. You wanna know why I retired? Because nobody could ever go the distance. Even Achilles, the best hero I ever trained, was brought down by one arrow to his freakin ankle! I retired because not one of these failures could be a true hero. What makes you think that you're any different huh?"

"Because I have to do it." Judy retorted, "It's my only chance!"

"Your only chance for what?" Finn sneered, "To be famous?"

"To fulfill my dream!" Judy shouted back. Finn snorted.

"Dreams are for rookies kid." He said, turning around. Judy glared at the fennec fox and grabbed him by the paw.

"Just let me show you what I can do!" She urged, yanking him outside and leading him towards the broken remains of a giant stone arm with a shield on it. She put him down and picked up the piece of statuary, whirling it around a few times before tossing it out over the ocean and out of sight.

"Wow." He uttered, "Maybe I could—No." He said firmly, "I am retired."

"Please." Judy pleaded, "It's the only way I can rejoin my father Zeus!" Finn started laughing.

"Your dad is Zeus!" He cackled, "The big guy!" Judy nodded her head, confused as to why Finn found it so funny.

"And my mother's Athena!" Finn spat out in a fit of laughter, "Nice try kid, but I'm not that stupid!"

"Hey Zeus-y," He shouted at the sky, "why don't you teach your little girl here how to throw a lightning bolt?!" Finn, who was still convulsing in laughter, was immediately hit by a bolt of lightning and knocked to the ground. Pegasus snorted in amusement as the fennec struggled to his paws.

"You weren't lying, were you kid?" He wheezed, his entire body covered in soot. Judy shook her head.

"Fine!" He shouted at the sky, "I'll train her!"

"You will?!" Judy shouted in excitement. Pegasus raised a hoof in the air and Judy high-fived it, elated that Finn had agreed to train her.

"Alright, alright, calm down." He said, interrupting their celebrations, "This isn't a party. You're going to train until you drop. And then you're going to train some more. Do you understand?" Judy straightened her back and nodded.

"Good." Finn said, "Now go clean up the practice field over there!"

* * *

Judy cleaned up the practice field and trained with Finn for months, learning how to wield swords, fight different opponents, and save mammals in distress. She got stronger, smarter, faster, and braver with each day, until she was ready to go out and become a true hero.

* * *

"Finn, I'm ready." She insisted, "I've been training for months and I've handled everything you've thrown at me. I'm ready to fight monsters, stop natural disasters, rescue some mammals!"

"I'll be the judge of what you're ready for." Finn retorted grumpily, "But if you're so eager to be a hero, we can go to Thebes."

"Why Thebes?" Judy asked.

"Because Thebes is a city where a lot of bad things happen." Finn replied impatiently, "Now stop asking questions and get on the horse."


	3. The Fox, The Buffalo, and The Hydra

Finn and Judy were flying through the air on Pegasus, headed for Thebes, when they heard an angry yowl from somewhere below.

"What was that?!" Judy shouted to Finn over the wind thundering in their ears.

"Sound like your classic MID!" He shouted back, "Mammal in Distress!" Judy grinned and nudged her hind paw into Pegasus' flank, causing him to tuck in his wings and enter a steep dive.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Finn screamed in terror as they plummeted towards the ground. At the last second, Pegasus spread his wings and pulled up, alighting softly on the grass next to the river. Finn slid off of Pegasus' back and bent over, putting his head in between his legs.

"Never." He groaned, trying to hold his lunch in, "Do that again." Judy opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by an enormous cape buffalo storming around the river bend. And in his hand, he held the source of the cry Judy and Finn had heard from above: one very annoyed red fox.

"Look, bozo," the fox began condescendingly, "I'm not—"

"It's Bogo!" The buffalo roared back at the fox.

"Whatever." He replied with a wave of his paw, "But you can forget the deal."

"Excuse me!" Judy said, wading through the water and marching up to the gargantuan mammal, "I'm going to have to ask you to unhand that fox!"

"Run along Carrots." The fox responded, "I've got this under control."

"But aren't you, uh, a mammal in distress?" Judy asked uncertainly.

"I'm a mammal." He replied, letting out a grunt as he strained to escape the buffalo's grasp, "I'm in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day." Judy stared in confusion at the fox's dismissal of her help.

"I'm sorry," Judy said, pulling her sword out of her belt, "but I can't—" Her sentence was cut short as Bogo slammed a fist into her, sending the sword flying out of her hand and Judy into the river.

"Oooh." Finn said, wincing in sympathy, "C'mon Judy!" He shouted as she stumbled to her paws, "Get your sword!" Judy nodded her head shakily, still dazed from the river guardian's blow and began fumbling in the water for her sword. Bogo swaggered up to her just as she spun around holding a fish she'd picked up from the water. The fox sighed and put a paw over his face. Bogo laughed and kicked the defenseless bunny, sending her flying back onto the riverbank. Finn rushed over to her side.

"Don't just rush in!" He scolded, "Use your head!" Judy nodded.

"Use my head, got it." She sprung to her paws and charged the still laughing buffalo, dodging a blow from his free fist. Judy jumped in the air and rotated her body so that her legs were facing the unprepared buffalo. She flew into the kick, sending Bogo flying downriver and causing him to drop the captive fox in the water.

"Ughhh!" He shouted, shoving his head back above the surface and coughing for air.

"Sorry!" Judy squeaked, immediately hoisting the fox in her arms and putting him on the riverbank next to Finn, "That was stupid of me." The fox shook his body to rid himself of the excess water and glared at his rescuer.

"Yeah." He replied icily, causing the bunny to blush.

"Excuse me." Judy said, rushing off to face Bogo once more. She jumped up and put him in a headlock, using her godlike strength to choke off his air supply. Bogo gasped and reached up behind his head, prying the bunny off like a tick, before throwing her into the water. Judy rolled out of the way as he tried to crush her under his hooves and jumped back to her feet. She dodged another swing of his fists and jumped onto his back once more. Bogo started trying to grab her, dancing around in the river, but Judy grabbed his ears and yanked his head back, directing him towards a dead tree trunk in the water and running him into it, jumping off his back as he impacted. The stunned buffalo staggered to the side and fixed Judy with a death glare. He charged towards the bunny once more and as he approached, she jumped towards him, delivering a kick to his face that sent him flying into the sky.

"Wow." The fox muttered, "Is she for real?" Finn nodded.

"Yes she is." He said proudly. Judy watched as the buffalo fell back to the earth and splashed down in the water with a satisfying THUD. Amazingly, he tried to rise once again, but his arm gave out and he flopped back into the water. Judy approached him cautiously and prodded Bogo with her foot, making sure he wasn't faking, but he had clearly lost the battle to maintain consciousness. Judy fumbled around in the water, looking for her sword, and found it after a moment. She waded to the shore, grinning like an idiot.

"Not so bad, eh Finn?" She said cheerfully, shoving her sword back into her belt.

"It's a start kid," Finn began, "but can't make mistakes like that!"

"I still won." She said defensively.

"Yeah, and you can make those mistakes and still win in a minor fight, but in a more dangerous situation, you'd've been toast!" He countered, "You've got to remain focused and not be distracted every time you see a pair of goo-goo eyes!"

"Yeah, definitely Finn." She said vacantly, watching the fox shake himself off at the edge of the water. Finn continued to speak, but Judy brushed by him, ignoring what he was saying. She walked up to the fox, who was wringing the remaining water out of his tail, and cleared her throat.

"Are you alright Mr…"

"Nicholas." He said shortly, flicking his water-laden tail in her face, causing her to stumble backwards, "My friends call me Nick, or they would if I had any." Judy let out a nervous laugh.

"So why wouldn't that guy leave you alone?" She asked curiously.

"You know what prey are like." Nick said, turning to face her, "They think no means yes and a business proposal means sell me as a fur coat." Judy stared at him, not understanding what he meant.

"Never mind." He continued, noticing her confusion, "Thanks for the help. See you later Carrots."

"Wait!" She shouted as he began to walk away, "Do you need a ride?" Nick looked behind her to see a fuming Pegasus and an exasperated Finn.

"I'm fine." He replied, "Besides, I don't think your friends like me very much."

"Them?" Judy said, turning her head to look at the angry pair, "No, they're just joking!" Nick turned around and began to walk away, his tail swishing behind him. He raised a paw in farewell and then disappeared into the forest. Judy watched him go, staring longingly at the departing fox.

"Wow." She said as Finn walked up, "He's really—"

"A pain?" Finn interrupted, "A jerk? A distraction? Stop me when I hit the right one." Finn rolled his eyes as he saw the dreamy gaze in Judy's eyes.

"Ok, come along lover-bunny." He said, grabbing her paw and dragging her back towards Pegasus, "We've got to get to Thebes." Judy clambered onto Pegasus absentmindedly, still thinking about Nick. Pegasus, annoyed by Judy's behavior, snorted and bucked, bringing her back to the present. Finn hopped on as well and Pegasus took off, flying towards Thebes.

* * *

Nick watched as the bunny and fennec left on their flying horse before heading deeper into the forest. As he approached the darker, older section of the forest, he noticed two mammals following him.

"Great." He projected to the forest, "A couple of rats."

"Hey I'm not a rat!" Pain yelled back, running up towards the fox.

"And neither am I" Panic shouted, closely following Pain.

"Where's Hades?" Nick asked exasperatedly, "I need to talk to him about his associates."

"And what is it _exactly_ that you want to say my little friend." Hades asked amusedly, emerging from the shadows ahead, "Because I have something to say as well."

"Yeah, I know, I didn't get the river guardian." Nick said sullenly, "But I was not going to agree to his terms."

"Nicky, I'm disappointed," Hades replied, making an expression of mock hurt, "and here I thought you cared about our cause. What, did he ask you to do something embarrassing?" He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No." Nick retorted angrily, "He wanted to sell my fur as a coat."

"Oh." Hades said, shivering slightly, "Well, that's fair on your part. But you couldn't offer him another deal?"

"I was about to," Nick began tiredly, "but that little bunny had to interfere. She was freakishly strong and knocked out old Bogo." Hades froze.

"Did you get a name?" He asked evenly.

"Judy." Nick responded. The temperature in the forest went up several degrees as Hades' flames began to grow.

"Judy..." Pain pondered aloud, "Why does that name seem familiar?"

"Oh, I know!" Panic exclaimed, not noticing Hades stalking towards them, "Wasn't she that bunny that we were supposed to…Oh." Pain and Panic finally noticed the black leopard standing inches from them.

"I thought you told me, she was taken care of." Hades said quietly, unsheathing his claws, "Dead as a doornail! Your words!" He shouted, the air around his claws beginning to shimmer with heat, "And you let her live?!" Hades screamed in rage, slashing both of his henchman with his burning hot claws, the fire atop his head burning a bright orange and incinerating nearby trees. Hades took a deep breath and calmed himself, only now realizing that all the trees in a twenty-foot radius had spontaneously combusted.

"It's ok." He said to himself, "This is a mess, but we can still fix it. And I'm going to need you two," He said, pointing to Pain and Panic, "to do your jobs for once and help me!"

* * *

Pegasus landed in Thebes and Finn and Judy dismounted.

"Watch yourself here kid." He warned, walking towards the city center followed by Judy and Pegasus, "Thebes is full of crazies, not to mention crime."

"But that's why we're here isn't it?" Judy asked, as Finn crossed the street. He was about to respond but had to jump backwards as a chariot raced across his path.

"Yeah, but I don't want you getting killed by some idiot in a chariot first." He said while making a rude gesture at the chariot driver, "Now follow me."

"Now did the fire come before or after the earthquake?" The middle-aged ocelot asked the shaking hare as they gathered around one of the fountains

"It was after the fire." She replied in a wavering voice, holding a leaking pot of water, "I remember because everything that wasn't destroyed by the fire was annihilated by the earthquake."

"Y'know in my day, there weren't so many problems." A crotchety old badger piped up defiantly. Judy, who had been eavesdropping with the help of her exceptional hearing, turned to Finn.

"Are their lives really that bad?" She asked in horror. Finn nodded sadly.

"Thebes has had some pretty rough times. A few natural disasters, rising crime, some minor corruption. The perfect place for a rookie hero to start." Judy nodded her head and walked up to the crowd of mammals.

"Excuse me!" She said, raising her voice to be heard, "It sounds like you all could use a hero!" The crowd gave the bunny a once over and most of them started laughing.

"Tell me sweetheart," An overweight bear began, "have you ever reversed a natural disaster."

"No, but—"

"Have you ever saved a family from a burning building?" The ocelot asked.

"No, but—"

"She's a wannabe!" The bear shouted unhappily, "Bring back a real hero we can actually count on!"

"Hey wait!" Finn shouted, "She's the real deal, just give her a chance!" The crowd continued to leave and Finn sighed.

"It's ok kid, we'll get 'em next time." He said dejectedly, trudging away.

"Wait is that Nick?" Judy asked excitedly, spotting a red-furred mammal forcing his way though the crowd, "It is!"

"What the heck is he doin' here!" Finn asked angrily. Pegasus whinnied in agreement and sat down on his haunches defiantly.

"Carrots!" Nick gasped, "In the gorge, two kits were playing and there was a rockslide! They're trapped!"

"Trapped?!" She said excitedly, the crowd returning to see what the commotion was. Nick frowned

"Jeez, you're real broken up about it aren't ya?" He replied in surprise.

"No it's terrible!" She said, her smile contradicting her words, "Pegasus!" The horse sprang to Judy's side, ready to take her to the gorge.

"Get on!" She said to Nick, gesturing to the horse.

"No, I'm really fine with walking." He responded, eyeing the horse warily. Judy rolled her eyes.

"We don't have time for this." She muttered, hopping onto Pegasus' back. She grabbed Nick's paw and flung him onto the horse behind her, ignoring his yelp of protest.

"Let's go Pegasus!" She shouted, causing him to leap into the air and fly for the canyon.

"Judy! Wait for me!" Finn yelled in vain as they disappeared over the city. Finn sighed and began following the rest of the crowd to the gorge, "Don't do anything stupid without me there kid." He muttered.

* * *

Pegasus headed towards the gorge, flying in an unnecessarily fancy and turbulent manner. He looked over his shoulder and felt a warm glow of satisfaction at seeing the now very green fox. He did one more loop before diving to the gorge, once again pulling out of it at the last second.

"Are you ok Nick?" Judy asked in concern as he slid off Pegasus and remained on his knees. He gave her a thumbs up and waved her away. Judy took the time to glare at Pegasus, who was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, and then ran towards the rockslide.

"Please help us!" The possum kit yelled from a narrow crack underneath a massive boulder.

"We can't breathe!" The ferret added, coughing while he said so. Judy got on the ground and looked into the crevice.

"I'm gonna get you guys out of there." She promised, not noticing as the crowd from Thebes began to filter in. Judy got back on her paws and grabbed the boulder. Grunting with the effort, she slowly began lifting the massive rock, eventually making enough room for the children to scramble through. The kits crawled out of the cave and Judy let the boulder drop again, not wanting to disturb the rest of the rocks.

"Thank you ma'am." One of the kits said politely.

"You're really strong." The other one said in awe. Judy chuckled at their praise.

"Don't worry about it." She said, "Just be a little more careful next time, alright?" The kits both nodded and then went running off. Judy smiled to herself and then noticed the large crowd that had assembled. She gave them a little wave and they applauded her effort, suitably impressed by her strength.

* * *

Pain and Panic ran up the mountain to where Hades was, reverting back to their usual forms as they got there.

"We're so sorry." Panic rambled, "We thought that she would lift the entire thing and then that—"

"Boys, boys, stop worrying." Hades said coolly, leaning back in the stone chair carved into the rock, "The show's just beginning." Pain and Panic sighed in relief and Hades smiled at them.

"Excellent performance by the way." He commented, "But nothing, just nothing was as compelling as our little hustler over here."

"Shut it Hades." Nick said darkly, "Now would be a good time to leave Carrots!" He muttered to himself.

* * *

Judy was enjoying the attention of the crowd when the ground began to shake. The mammals began to look at each other in fear and Judy turned to face the cave again. The enormous rock that was blocking the entrance suddenly exploded, fragmenting into pieces as an angry roar emanated from the inside. Judy gulped nervously and Finn, who had just arrived, buried his head in his paws. From the now open cave emerged a titanic, scaly, four-legged beast with razor sharp claws and jagged teeth. It roared again and charged towards Judy. Judy pulled out her sword and dodged the beast's first swipe, diving to the side and rolling to her paws. It hissed at her and attacked again, this time trying to catch her in its deadly jaws. Instead, it got a mouthful of stone as Judy danced out of the way. Judy ran forwards and tried to slice at its neck with her sword, but the creature flicked her away with one of its claws, sending her flying. Judy regained her paws just in time to dodge another bite, but was grazed by one of the creature's fangs. Judy put her sword back in her belt and picked up a massive rock, throwing it at the beast's head. The monster caught it in its teeth and pulverized the rock. Before it could attack again, Judy leaped into the air and, unsheathing her sword, swung it at the monster's outstretched neck, severing it from the body. She landed and the beast's head and neck flopped down on the ground next to her, the stump of its neck steaming. Finn rushed over to Judy.

"Nice job kid!" He shouted as the crowd began to cheer, "Keep it up, and you'll be on Olympus in no time!"

* * *

Pain and Panic stood there quaking while Judy and the crowd celebrated.

"Relax." Hades said, a sinister grin on his face, "It's just getting started."

* * *

Judy waved to the crowd, but stopped as her ear detected a strange, crackling sound. She turned around and saw that the carcass of the monster was now thrashing on the ground and three more head were sprouting from the stump of the first one.

"Oh shoot!" Finn yelled, running away from Judy. The now three-headed monster got to its feet and hissed angrily at Judy.

"Pegasus!" She yelled uncertainly, running away from the terrifying creature. Pegasus swooped down from the sky and picked up Judy right as the monster struck, just missing the elusive bunny. Pegasus flew towards it and wove in between its heads, Judy severing each one as they flew by. Soon, the monster was no longer three-headed, but instead was a writhing mass of angry heads, teeth, and scales.

"Stop cutting the heads off you idiot!" Finn yelled from the ground. Pegasus flew through the air, trying to avoid the monstrosity, but one of the heads used itself as a club and knocked Pegasus out of the sky, sending Judy flying towards the beast. She landed on a neck and slid down further, doing her best to avoid the heads and their deadly fangs. Suddenly, she was thrown off the monster by a convulsive movement and into the gorge wall. She started sliding down the rock but was quickly pinned in place by a claw. Judy stared at the innumerable furious, hissing heads getting ready to eat her.

* * *

"My favorite part," Hades crowed, "sudden death."

* * *

In a last act of desperation, Judy pounded her fists against the side of the cliff, sending a tremor through it. All of the heads looked up in terror as the top of the cliff began to crumble and rain down upon them, eventually burying them under a rockslide. All that was left was a claw, sticking out of the rubble.

"There goes another one." Finn said miserably, turning away from the wreckage.

* * *

Nick gasped in horror and Hades let out a victorious laugh.

"Excellent, now that the little pest is gone—" Hades stopped as he noticed the claw of the beast twitching.

* * *

The crowd began to cheer as the claw of the monster was pried open from the inside by a very ragged bunny. Finn let out a relieved gasp and held back a tear, and far in the distance, there was a scream of rage.

"Hey Finn," Judy began as the fennec ran up to her, "did I do good?" She asked, gesturing at the cheering crowd.

"Yeah kid, you did good." He said warmly, "Now let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

 **A/N: Woooo! 3 chapters in 3 days! That was fun. Anyways, I'm probably slow down a little because I now have to do all the vacation homework I ignored while writing this. And yes, I did shamelessly rip off the dialog from the movie during the river scene. Deal with it. Next chapter will still be out relatively soon.**


	4. Hades' Secret Weapon

From that point forward, Judy was no longer just some bunny. She was a hero, the most beloved figure in all of Thebes. Merchants flocked to the city, selling merchandise by the barrel-load, and Judy, well she collected her royalties. Amphitryon and Alcmene never had to worry about making it to the market again, with Judy's earnings easily sustaining their humble lifestyle. She built a massive home for herself in the wealthy district of Thebes, complete with a fully equipped training stadium. Finn stood by her side and managed her affairs, expertly navigating contractual agreements and her finances while Judy trained and overcame every obstacle placed in her path. And Hades, he refused to give up, sending creature after creature to try and dispose of the beloved bunny. But they couldn't beat her. No beast, not the Nemean Lion, the gorgon, or the Cretan bull, could defeat her. As he watched Judy defeat each of his minions with ease, Hades grew angrier and more desperate, looking for any solution to his little problem.

* * *

"No, no, no, NO!" Hades roared, upending the board of carefully constructed models, "Every single thing I send, she beats! Why can't that bunny just roll over and die already!" Hades glanced over his shoulder at the cowering figures of Pain and Panic.

"Pull." He spat out angrily. Together the two mammals launched a stone bust of Judy in the air. Hades basted it out of the sky with a bolt of blue fire and snarled again.

"Beautiful day, isn't it Hades." Nick said with a smirk, waltzing up to the enraged god, "Now tell me, is this little hissy-fit because of your precious plan, or because your cheerleaders over there are wearing Judy's merchandise?" Hades whirled around to glare at Pain and Panic, both of whom were desperately trying to hide their bunny themed sneakers. Hades stalked towards them angrily and then stopped and threw his paws in the air.

"I don't even know why I bother with you anymore!" He exhorted, "And you," he said, wheeling to face Nick, "Why haven't you done anything about our little problem?!" Nick shrugged and turned away from Hades.

"I wasn't aware that she was my responsibility." He replied emotionlessly.

"Oh c'mon Nicky!" Hades encouraged him, "Take a little initiative! Who knows, maybe one day, you'll be able to earn your freedom."

"Yeah, no." Nick said firmly, turning back to face the god, "I won't be helping you get rid of Carrots."

"Carrots?!" Hades scoffed, "What is she, your little girlfriend? You're forgetting one, eensy-weensy, little detail there fox, I OWN YOU!" He shouted, a pillar of flame erupting from his head. Nick shrugged.

"What's your point?"

"What's my point?" Hades asked, flabbergasted by the fox's attitude, "Let's see if this rings a bell shall we? Your girlfriend, a beautiful vixen if I may remind you, dies in a tragic accident and comes flying down to my happy little kingdom. But wait, you, the dashing savior, bravely offers to trade your soul for hers, bringing her back to life so that you could live happily ever after, except whoopsie! She runs off with another mammal, leaving you alone, helpless, and enslaved. That sound familiar?" Nick raised an eyebrow disinterestedly, showing no other reaction to Hades' monologue. The panther let out an exasperated groan and ran a paw down his face.

"Look, if you can find me Judy's weakness, the key to finally crushing that little nuisance, I'll give you what you want most in the world. Your freedom." Nick's eyes widened and Hades allowed himself a smile of satisfaction as he watched the fox weigh his options.

"Are you going to kill her?" He asked quietly, refusing to make eye contact with the god of death.

"Well, killing her would be ideal." Hades muttered, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "But if that's a deal breaker for you, I could just put her out of commission for a day."

"It's a deal breaker." Nick replied, still staring at the ground in shame.

"Out of commission it is!" Hades responded exuberantly, holding out his paw, "Here, let's shake on it." Nick reluctantly took his paw and gave it one shake, shivering as the deal was made. He quickly retracted his paw and wiped it on his tunic in disgust.

"Get going Nicky!" Hades sang, "We haven't got all week!"

* * *

"You should've seen it father!" Judy shouted, "That bull didn't even stand a chance!" The statue of Zeus boomed with laughter.

"Like father like daughter I see!" He chuckled, "You've done wonderfully dear! I'm so proud of you!"

"Does that mean," Judy began haltingly, looking at the ground shyly, "Does that mean I can join you guys in Olympus now?"

"I'm afraid not." The statue responded sadly, "You've accomplished so much, but you haven't yet proved yourself to be a true hero."

"How do I prove myself then?!" Judy shouted back, her frustration boiling over, "I've beaten every single monster that I've faced, I'm a hero to all of Thebes, I'm even an action figure!"

"Being famous doesn't make you a true hero." He said sternly, "Remain on your current path and I promise you _will_ prove yourself." With that, the statue sat back and became unmoving once more and the braziers extinguished.

"But when?" Judy muttered angrily. Pegasus nudged her with his head and caused her to look up. He mimed holding his head up high and marching forward, causing Judy to chuckle.

"You're right Pegasus, I've just got to keep working." She sighed. Pegasus gave her a look that clearly said, _I'm always right_ , and then marched for the exit, Judy following in his wake. She gave one last look at the stone statue of her father before flying away on Pegasus

* * *

"At noon we've got the meeting with the charioteer," Finn began, reviewing a schedule while circling the pedestal Judy was standing on, "and then at two, we're meeting your new image consultant, at half-past two, you've got to meet with those Amazons, and then at quarter to three, you've got to do your daily training." Judy opened her mouth to respond, but was quickly scolded by the painter and resumed her position.

"Finn," She said, trying to remain as motionless as possible, "What's the point of all this?"

"What's the point?!" He exclaimed, "Do you want to get to Olympus or not? Just trust me on this kid."

"Yeah, but—"

"Stop moving!" The painter, a scraggly lynx, shouted. Judy jumped down from the pedestal and shrugged sheepishly at the fuming painter. He threw the vase he had been painting on the floor in disgust, turned around, and marched out of the room.

"Sheesh, who knew artists were so temperamental?" Finn remarked.

"Finn, how is any of this helping me become a true hero?" Judy persisted, "Nothing we've done so far has worked, so why should this?" Finn sighed and looked at the bunny.

"Listen Jude, I've been doing this my whole life. It's what I know. Sure, it hasn't gotten ya to Olympus yet, but if you give it some time, eventually your moment will arrive."

"But when?" Judy began despairingly, "Everyone keeps telling me eventually, but— Oh no." She sighed, her ears detecting a gathering crowd, "One of the tour groups got inside again."

"I thought we closed the gates." He groaned, locking the door.

"They must've climbed them again." Judy responded, the annoyance clear in her voice.

"Ok you know the drill." Finn said tiredly, "Hide behind one of the curtains, I'll lead them away and getcha once they're gone." Judy nodded her agreement and slipped into one of the many alcoves in the room that was covered by a curtain. Finn opened the door to find a crowd of excited mammals, eager to meet their hero.

"Alright, c'mon," Judy heard Finn say as he led the crowd toward away from her, "she's just over here." Judy was standing behind the curtain, impatiently tapping her feet and waiting for Finn to return when she heard a voice.

"I wonder what's behind curtain number 1?" A familiar voice asked dryly. The curtain was whipped back to reveal Nick, wearing his trademark smirk.

"Nick, uh, Hi!" Judy said nervously, "What're you doing here?"

"Oh I saw that crowd sneak in here and I thought there might be a mammal in distress." He responded, earning a giggle from the bunny, "So this is what heroes do on their days off." He commented before flopping down on a chaise lounge and surveying the opulently decorated room.

"Well, I don't really have days off," Judy corrected, "I always have to be ready to save someone."

"Are you telling me that you haven't had a day off? Ever?" Nick asked, smiling lazily at the flustered bunny.

"Huh." She remarked, "I guess I haven't."

"Well, do you think the little half-pint would go _berserk_ if you played hooky?" Nick asked, squeezing a Finn action figure and making its eyes pop out.

"I don't think I should." Judy said apologetically, "It's just that Finn has a full schedule for me and—"

"Carrots, it's simple." Nick said quickly, "We go around back, past the barbells, you lift up the back wall, and we're out of here. Finn won't notice us and I can finally show you Thebes." He finished enticingly.

"Alright." She relented, a smile growing on her face, "Let's go!"

* * *

"So, what'd you think Carrots?" Nick asked, walking down the stairs into the garden.

"That was incredible!" She responded, excitedly, "The food at the place we went to was amazing! And that play?! That Oedipus guy?! I thought I had problems!" Nick laughed and stumbled down the last few steps.

"Ow!" He snarled as he twisted his ankle. He tried putting weight on it and immediately gasped in pain. Judy jumped down the last steps and picked him up in her arms.

"Oh." He said in surprise as she picked him up. She walked over to a nearby bench and deposited the fox on it before sitting down next to him.

"Thanks for the lift Carrots." Nick said after a moment, "So do you have any problems like this?" He asked, flicking his tail into her lap while he massaged his ankle, "Weak ankles I mean." Judy blushed and carefully brushed off his tail.

"Not really." She replied.

"Nothing?" Nick asked, sitting back up and leaning in closer, "No trick knee, no pulled muscles, no easily injured appendage?"

"I'm fit as a fiddle." Judy replied, flustered by the fox's face just inches from hers. He pulled away and looked at the bunny once more.

"You really are perfect, aren't you Carrots?" He said in wonderment. Judy shrugged and got to her paws.

"I wouldn't say perfect." She asserted, picking a rock up off the ground and skipping it in one of the reflecting pools. Nick opened his mouth to disagree, but stopped as he watched the rock smash through the center of a statue.

"Not perfect," He chuckled as the bunny blushed, "but as close as I've ever seen."

"Nick, you're too kind." Judy stammered.

"Yeah, kind." Nick muttered in a defeated tone, full of self-hatred.

"What was that?" Judy asked, her keen ears detecting Nick's mutterings.

"Nothing." He called, getting back to his paws and testing the one he twisted. When he found that it could hold his weight, he walked over to Judy, who was still surveying the massive hole in the statue's chest.

"I never liked it anyways." Nick stated loftily, eyeing the broken piece of statuary. Judy laughed.

"Y'know," She began without warning, "when I was a kid, I would've given everything to be just like anybody else."

"You wanted to be a petty dishonest liar?" Nick asked dryly.

"Mammals aren't like that Nick." Judy said softly.

"Trust me." He replied darkly, "They are."

"The moment you lose faith in mammality is the moment you give up Nick!" Judy exhorted. Nick sat down on the edge of the pool and chuckled.

"I gave up years ago Judy." He responded, "When mammals don't trust you to begin with, you don't have a lot to give up on."

"I trust you." She said tenderly, sitting down beside him.

"You shouldn't." He murmured.

"Nick, you're the most amazing mammal I'ev ever met! Why shouldn't I trust you?"

"Because when I get close to mammals, someone gets hurt." He sighed, "And the last thing I want is for that to happen."

"Nick, I would never hurt you." Judy swore, "And I know that you wouldn't hurt me."

"And how do you know that?" He breathed, "I'm a fox! I'm the last mammal you should ever trust!"

"I know you wouldn't hurt me." Judy said stubbornly, "Because I know that you're a good mammal."

"Yeah right." He scoffed.

"Hey look at me!" She scolded, grabbing his muzzle and yanking his face down to hers, "Nick, you're a good mammal. Even if you don't believe it, I do!" Suddenly, Judy was acutely aware of the muzzle now inches from hers. Nick stared at her, his eyes wide with surprise and they both slowly leaned in, and kissed.

"ALRIGHT BREAK IT UP!" Finn screamed, a burning white light shining down on the two mammals from the lantern atop Pegasus' head. Nick and Judy jerked away from each other in embarrassment and Finn landed Pegasus right next to Judy.

"I can't believe you!" He shouted, "You're gonna to get on that horse and train until you can't walk! Let alone have a night out on the town with little Nicky over there!"

"Who you calling little, squirt?" Nick snarked, blowing out the lantern on Pegasus' head. Both Finn and Pegasus fixed Nick with death glares.

"Could you give us a second, guys?" Judy asked timidly. Finn stormed off and Pegasus snorted angrily before following.

"Thanks for the day Nick." Judy said, playing with her ears nervously, "It was the most fun I've had in a while." Judy jumped up in the air and grabbed a flower blossom from a tree above.

"I'll see you around." She said with a smile, handing the bloom to Nick. Nick stared at the flower in surprise, quickly returning his gaze to Judy, who was already on Pegasus. She gave him one last smile before Pegasus took off and flew away.

* * *

Judy kept staring dreamily back at Nick from Pegasus' back as they flew, making Finn even angrier.

"Keep your goo-goo eyes on the road!" He shouted angrily, climbing onto her shoulders and swiveling her head so it was facing forward. Immediately after doing so, he was hit by a low hanging branch and went flying off the horse.

* * *

Nick stared at the flower in wonderment, sighing as he remembered his day with Judy.

"Oh no." He realized, "No Nick, that's a no go." He tried to toss the flower into the pool, but his paw wouldn't let go of it.

"Not again." He groaned, "And a bunny?! I can't fall in love with a bunny can I?!" He sat back down on the lip of the pool and buried his face in his paws.

"I thought that I had learned my lesson." He muttered, "You're in love, you're happy, and then suddenly, she leaves and your heart is ripped out! I just, I can't do it again!" He got back to his paws and started pacing back and forth.

"But she wouldn't do that. I know she wouldn't. She's a good mammal. But she's a bunny. Foxes mate for life, do bunnies? Would she leave me for some other mammal?" He rambled while he paced.

"No, I'm not in love." He tried to convince himself, "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not." Nick continued trying to convince himself, but deep down, he knew it was no use. He had fallen in love with a bunny! And not just any bunny, the very bunny Hades wanted gone!

"This is not good." He moaned, burying his head in his paws. He jerked his head up at a sudden crackling noise and watched as Hades melted his way through one of the statues.

"What's not good?" He asked with a sinister smile. Nick blanched.

"She doesn't have any weaknesses!" He said quickly, trying to hide his feelings from the god. Hades frowned.

"Are you sure? Everyone's got a weakness." He persisted, "You didn't notice anything? She didn't tell you anything?" Nick shook his head.

"Plan B then." Hades said cheerfully, "You take care of her."

"No." Nick said quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that Nicky?" Hades asked dangerously.

"I said no." He stated louder, "That wasn't part of the deal."

"Well, I'm making it part of the deal." Hades retorted angrily, "Because I'm the one in charge!"

"I don't care!" Nick shouted, his composure breaking for the first time in years, "You can do whatever you want to me! I am not hurting Judy!"

"You don't love her? Do you?" Hades asked, flabbergasted, "Nicky, come on! She's just going to use you then throw you out like a piece of garbage when she's done!"

"Like you treat me so well!" Nick snarled back, "And she would never! She's kind and compassionate and good—"

"She's a prey." Hades interrupted incredulously, "I can't believe this! Even you refuse to get rid of the little rat! I guess I'll just have to take care of her myself!" Nick smirked as he stared down the panther.

"You can try." He said smugly, "But she has no weaknesses. You can't beat her." Hades face twisted in anger and then he noticed the flower in Nick's paw.

"Actually, Nicky," He began, looking meaningfully at the flower, "I think she may just have a weakness after all." Nick felt his heart plummet in his chest as Hades realized what the flower meant.

"Now, I believe I need to remind you of how our little arrangement works." Hades began, resting his paw on Nick's shoulder, "I say I want the bunny's head on a platter, you say?"

"Medium or well-done." Nick replied in defeat.

* * *

Finn woke up in the bushes and rubbed the lump on his head.

"I'm gonna have her running laps until I die." He muttered darkly, stumbling to his paws. He walked through the bushes and saw Nick talking to an unfamiliar black panther. He stole closer just in time to hear their last few sentences.

"Oh no." He murmured, "This is going to kill her."

* * *

"Now come along Nicky," Hades crowed, "I've got an apocalypse to start."


	5. The Bargain

Finn trudged into the training stadium, a downcast look on his face. Judy, who had yet to notice him, was running around the track, crowing with happiness as she completed each exercise. Finn walked over, his heart heavy.

"Finn!" Judy shouted, leaping onto a pommel horse and spinning herself around, "What took you so long!"

"Kid, we need to talk." Finn sighed.

"Can't talk Finn!" She yelled back, "I'm just too happy!"

"Judy, it's about Nick." He continued unhappily.

"Look, Finn, I know you don't like him, but give him a chance!" Judy shouted, leaping onto an elevated bar, "He's a good mammal!"

"He's a fraud!" Finn shouted back, unable to contain himself any longer, "He's been playing you for a fool the whole time!"

"No he's not." Judy replied confidently, jumping down from the bar, "Just because you don't want him distracting me doesn't mean—"

"He's been using you this whole time!" Finn interrupted, "He doesn't care about you! He can't be trusted!"

"What makes you say that?!" She retorted, "You've never even had a full conversation with him!"

"He's a fox!" Finn roared, "I know you can't trust him on that alone!"

"You're a fox too Finn!" Judy reminded him angrily, "I just can't believe that you don't trust me after everything we've done. I can make my own decisions! I don't need you babying me at every turn!"

"I know you can make your own decisions Jude." Finn replied, lowering his voice, "But you don't have all the facts. I just saw him with some shady leopard planning against you!" Judy shook her head in disgust.

"I can't believe you would just make something like that up Finn." She responded, her voice full of hurt and betrayal, "I thought we were friends."

"Judy, I'm begging you, please listen to me." Finn pleaded, "Don't trust Nick, he'll just hurt you." Judy turned away from Finn

"Nick is the only one who hasn't hurt me." Judy replied brokenly, "Thank you for your help Finn, but I think that you should go home now."

"Fine! Who needs me, right?!" He screamed, tears forming in his eyes, "Don't come cryin' to me when it turns out that I was right all along!" Finn stormed away from the bunny, heading for the exit. He stopped in the entryway and looked back at the motionless bunny.

"You were supposed to be the all-time champ." He whispered sadly, "Not the all-time chump." Finn wiped a tear from his eye and began walking to the harbor. He had a boat to catch.

* * *

Judy waited for Finn to leave before breaking down, a situation only made worse by his whispered comment that she had just barely heard. In a fit of rage, she picked up one of her enormous barbells and threw it with all her strength out of the stadium, out of Thebes, and out of Greece.

"I don't need him." She muttered, holding back her tears, "I can make it to Olympus by myself. And I can do it without a selfish, lying trainer."

"I'm sure you can." Hades began, emerging from the shadows at the top of the stadium, "Of course, it might be a little more difficult, what with having nobody to help you and all." Judy whipped around and watched as the predator slunk down the stairs to meet her.

"Who are you?" She asked warily, "And what do you want?"

"Hades. How ya doin'?" He replied, thrusting out his paw. Judy knocked it aside.

"Hey, I just want to talk!" Hades protested, "C'mon that's no way to treat your uncle is it?"

"I don't want to talk." Judy said angrily, turning her back on him. Hades jumped over her head and landed in front of her.

"It won't take long, I'm a fast talker." He persisted, advancing towards Judy with each word.

"Fine." She spat, relenting as the god of death drew uncomfortably close.

"Excellent! Now, I've got a little something in the works, it's taken a long time, lots of effort, mammalpower, yadayadayada, anyways, there's just one problem." Hades said, looking at the bunny expectantly.

"What's your problem?" Judy asked wearily.

"I am so glad you asked!" Hades rambled, "Because, it's YOU. Ya see, I need you to give up your strength, just for, say, 24 hours, and that's it. After that, you get your strength back, my problem's gone, and we go our separate ways. Win-win, am I right?"

"No!" Judy replied incredulously, "Why would I agree to that?"

"Well, ya know, I had a feeling that you might say that." Hades continued, "That's why I brought a little…leverage." Hades snapped his fingers and Nick appeared in the stadium, bound and gagged by dark wisps of fog.

"No!" She shouted, leaping for the captive fox. Hades snapped his fingers again and the fox dematerialized in Judy's arms, reappearing several feet away.

"Ah, ah, ah." Hades chided, wagging a finger disapprovingly at the desperate bunny, "Are you ready to negotiate now?"

* * *

Pegasus watched Finn leave and let out a whinny of sadness. He had grown very fond of the moody little fennec. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a beautiful mare. He let out a snort of surprise and stared at the other horse, who winked and headed for an empty storage room. Pegasus nearly tripped in his haste to follow her. He barged inside the room just in time to see the mare split in two and transform into an ugly raccoon and an uglier weasel.

"Gotcha!" Pain shouted, pulling a bag over Pegasus' head, "Now that you're out of the way, there's nothing to stop the boss from making his deal!"

* * *

"Nick." Judy breathed, staring at the ensnared vulpine in concern, "Let him go!" she demanded, turning to face Hades, "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Whoa, calm down there Carrots—"

"Do NOT call me Carrots!" Judy shouted at the smirking panther.

"Alright then, little bunny, here's the deal. You give up your strength for a day, and I'll let your darling fox go."

"You're planning on hurting mammals, aren't you?" Judy asked fearfully.

"Other mammals!" Hades dismissed with a wave of his paw, "Abstract mammals! They're not Nick are they? Look at this beautiful fox," He continued, grabbing Nick's face and turning it towards Judy, "you wouldn't want anything happening to him, would you?" Judy looked at Nick with a pained expression in her eyes and Nick tried to warn her, tried to shout out that it was a trap, but everything he said was turned into a panicked grunt by his gag.

"Do we have a deal?" Hades asked expectantly. Nick's grunts got louder.

"MMMMPHHHH!" He shouted, shaking his head wildly. Judy looked at the struggling fox before returning her attention to Hades.

"Promise me he won't be harmed." She said, meeting Hades' gaze.

"Promise, cross my heart and hope to die." He said disinterestedly, "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes." She said, staring at the ground.

"Let's shake on it!" Hades crowed, grabbing her paw in his. As Nick watched, the luster faded from Judy's fur, her gorgeous silver-grey pelt becoming darker. She fell to one knee and Hades finally let go of her paw. Judy opened her eyes and let out a gasp, feeling weaker than she ever had.

"You look tired." Hades said in mock concern, "Why don't you take a seat!" He snapped his fingers and one of Judy's barbells flew across the stadium and hit her in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Nick let out another grunt of concern.

"Well Nicky, a deal's a deal" Hades said happily, snapping his fingers and causing Nick's bonds to vanish, "I couldn't've done it without ya."

"Nick, what is he talking about?" Judy asked, struggling out from under the barbell. Nick looked into Judy's glazed over eyes and was filled with shame, regret, and self-loathing

"You don't know?" Hades asked gleefully, "Your foxy boyfriend was working for me the whole time! He's been working for me for years!"

"What?" Judy asked, her voice small and confused, "Nick is it true?"

"I didn't want to do it." Nick said quietly, unable to look at the bunny, "He made me."

"No." Judy whispered.

"Well it seems you two lovebirds have some catching up to do." Hades interjected, "If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment." Hades snapped his fingers and a jet-black chariot, bristling with spikes and pulled by two fiery steeds, appeared. Hades stepped onto it and flew away. The time had come to unleash the Titans.

* * *

"Judy it wasn't an act, I care about you!" Nick called, following the bunny as she trudged towards the exit, "Please, he made me do it!"

"Please," He whimpered, catching up to her and grabbing her arm, "I never wanted to hurt you."

"You did though." Judy whispered, "Finn was right. I trusted you and you hurt me."

* * *

The planets aligned and a ray of force shot down to the earth, revealing the existence of Tartarus, the worst prison ever created, on the ocean floor. Inside, beings of terrible power clawed at bars made of lightning, hissing in pain as they were shocked and repelled. Hades flew over the pit and called down to them.

"TITANS!" He boomed, "WHO PUT YOU DOWN THERE!?"

"Zeusssss!" They groaned in reply.

"AND WHEN YOU GET OUT," Hades continued, drawing the electricity out of the cage and dissipating it in the air, "WHO WILL YOU KILL!?"

"ZEUS!" The Titans roared, breaking free from their confinement. Hades watched in satisfaction as they started marching towards Olympus to dispose of their hated enemy. At the last second, he accosted one of the largest titans. A one-eyed brute whose fat spilled over the sides of his loincloth.

"I have a special job for you." Hades told him with a sinister smile.

 **A/N: The next chapter will be out later tonight. I just want to let all the angst and sadness of this chapter stew for a little bit.**


	6. The Battle

The giant Titan lumbered into Thebes.

"WHERE IS JUDY?!" He roared, smashing the top off a building as he wandered by. The mammals of Thebes shrieked in terror and ran for cover, hoping that their hero would arrive and save the city from utter annihilation.

* * *

"Carrots you can't go out there!" Nick begged the bunny, "You don't have your strength, he'll kill you!"

"Don't call me Carrots." Judy replied coldly, "I have a duty to the mammals of Thebes, and, unlike others," She gave Nick a hurt stare, "I do the right thing." Judy slowly walked out of the stadium and down towards the Titan terrorizing Thebes.

"No." Nick whispered. He had let her down. He had stabbed her in the back, crippled her when Greece needed her most, and betrayed her trust. But he would die before he let Judy be killed by that Titan. He started after her, but stopped as he heard noises coming from a storage room. He approached it cautiously and flung open the door to reveal Pegasus, bound and gagged. The horse's eyes widened in alarm and anger upon seeing Nick. He rushed towards the incapacitated horse and began tearing the ropes off.

"I'm trying to help." Nick grunted, dodging a hoof, "Judy's in trouble." After hearing that, Pegasus remained perfectly still, no longer attempting to attack the fox. As Nick used his claws to destroy the last knot, Pegasus jumped to his feet and trotted out the door. Nick moved to follow the horse, but Pegasus whipped around and snapped his teeth at Nick

"Whoa!" He shouted, jumping back to dodge the angry horse's attack, "I just want to help Judy!" Pegasus continued glaring at the fox, not believing a word he said.

"Please." Nick asked wretchedly, "I've done so much wrong, just let me try and fix it! We have to find Finn! He's the only one who can talk her out of fighting that Titan!" Pegasus backed off slightly and gave Nick an almost imperceptible nod. The meaning was clear: _Fine, but I don't like you_.

"Understood." Nick replied, "Let's go find Finn."

* * *

Finn walked down the stone steps of the harbor, the boat at the end of the dock ready to launch.

"Hurry up!" The skipper called, struggling to keep the boat steady in the heaving water. Finn gave no indication of hearing him, instead maintaining his slow, steady trudge. In the distance, Finn heard the sound of a building toppling. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Thebes, trying to see what was happening.

"Did you hear me?! I said, hurry up!" The mammals shouted angrily. Finn waved a paw in his general direction as he noticed a speck in the sky rapidly growing larger.

"Finn!" Nick shouted from Pegasus' back, "Judy's in trouble!"

"What are you doin' here?!" Finn yelled back, "It wasn't enough that you had to ruin everything, now you have to rub it in too?!" Pegasus alighted on the dock and Nick hopped off his back.

"Please Finn," Nick began desperately, "I know you hate me. You have every right to. But right now, Judy doesn't have her strength and she's facing a TITAN! She needs you!"

"Hold on a minute, a Titan?! Aren't they all locked up in Tartarus?!"

"Hades let them out." Nick said with a grimace, "And he used me as leverage to make Judy forfeit her strength for a day."

"This is your fault!?" Finn screamed, "I oughta—"

"Do whatever you want to me." Nick interrupted, "Kill me, torture me, I don't care, just do it after you help Judy. Please."

"You're right." Finn replied, calming himself down,, "But after this is over, if I ever see you again, you'd better hope I'm not feeling creative." Nick gulped and nodded. He hopped on Pegasus and Finn scrambled up behind him. Pegasus took off immediately, flying as quickly as he could towards Judy.

* * *

Judy stumbled down the stairs to the center of Thebes.

"WHERE'S JUDY?" The Titan boomed, smashing another building with his fist.

"I'm right here!" Judy shouted back weakly, swaying where she stood. The mammals of Thebes let out shouts of relief as they saw Judy, thinking that their great hero would vanquish the enormous cyclops and restore peace and order.

"YOU'RE JUDY?" The cyclops let out a laugh that reverberated throughout Thebes, "YOU'RE TINY!" With that, the cyclops gave Judy a backhanded slap that sent her flying halfway across the city and into a wall, cracking it on impact. She slid down to the ground and collapsed, wincing in pain as she tried to get back to her paws.

* * *

Hades watched from his chariot as the Titans began scaling Mount Olympus.

"Oh Zeus-y," He hummed to himself, "better get some lightning bolts ready." As if on cue, Hades heard the alarms beginning to sound on Olympus and the gods, glowing with power, flew forth on their chariots to combat their ancient enemies. Hades chuckled as he watched the gods begin to buzz around the Titans like flies, futilely attempting to beat them back. The titan of the wind and sky let out a roar of anger and held out its arms, allowing the whirlwinds that composed its form to suck up the attackers like a vacuum. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed down from the very summit, causing the titan of the earth to stumble backwards, almost falling from the peak. Hades watched dispassionately as a salvo of lightning bolts slowly drove the titans backwards. But just as suddenly as the counterattack had begun, it stopped.

"And that's why you capture Hephaestus." Hades said smugly. Soon, all of the titans, earth, air, ice, and fire, had breached Olympus' gates and Hades could hear the enraged roars of Zeus.

"That's my cue." He muttered, spurring his chariot towards the summit. He flew up to see Zeus slowly being buried under a rapidly freezing flow of magma.

"Zeus-y, I'm home!" Hades sang, flying right up to the struggling god.

"Hades?! You were behind this!?" Zeus shouted as the flow approached his head, "When I get out of here—"

"Mhmm. Yeah, when you get out." Hades deadpanned as Zeus was finally buried. He created a grey throne out of nearby storm clouds and reclined in it.

"Could this day get any better?" He mused, conjuring a drink and taking a sip as he reclined in the throne.

* * *

The cyclops juggled Judy in the air, alternating between hitting her with his legs, elbows, and stomach before kicking her out of the air into a destroyed temple on a hilltop. Judy tried to lift herself back to her paws, but her arms gave out and she collapsed once more.

"Judy!" Finn shouted from Pegasus' back as they landed. He ran towards the bunny and rolled her over onto her back.

"Jeez kid, you ok?" He asked, propping her up.

"Finn." She croaked, "You came back."

"Course I came back kid." He replied, staring at her worriedly, "If I'm not around, who's gonna take care of ya?"

"How'd you find me?" She asked, struggling into a more comfortable position.

"Nick came and got me." Finn responded neutrally. Judy looked around and noticed the fox skulking nearby.

"Now, c'mon, you can take this guy!" Finn encouraged, before Judy could respond, "Look at him, you've fought worse!"

"Not without my strength Finn." Judy groaned, trying to stand back up and failing, "I can't do it."

"I came back here because I'm willing to go the distance." Finn exhorted, "Now are you gonna let some half-witted, overgrown, one-eyed, freakshow beat you?!" Judy was about to answer, but the titan lumbered towards the trio and plucked the bunny from the middle.

"I'M GOING TO BITE OFF YOUR HEAD!" The cyclops boomed amusedly. Judy dug her teeth into her captor's hand in response, causing him to howl in pain and drop her. She fell to the ground, grabbed a coil of rope on a nearby cart, and sprinted back towards the behemoth, tangling his feet with the rope. The titan tried to grab the bunny, but she was moving too quickly and every step tangled his legs further. Finally, Judy ran out of rope and fell to the ground at the edge of the cliff, exhausted by the spurt of activity. The cyclops took a step towards her, but the rope looped around his feet tightened and sent him pitching forward towards the precipice. Judy rolled out of the way just in time, the titan pulverizing the spot where she had been laying moments before as he tumbled to his doom.. She let out a sigh of relief and struggled to her paws, not noticing the freestanding pillar behind her that was now falling.

"Judy watch out!" Nick yelled, tackling her out of the way. The pillar landed and threw up an enormous cloud of dust, obscuring Judy's vision and knocking Finn to the ground. Judy jumped to her paws and rushed to the column.

"No no no no no." Judy stuttered in horror as she saw Nick's limp form trapped under the pillar. She grabbed the column and lifted with all her strength, praying that she could lift it, even without her godly attribute. As she lifted, a newfound energy coursed through her and her fur returned to its usual hue. The column began to lift off the ground until Judy was able to pick it up and toss it away like a matchstick.

"My strength." She breathed, looking at her paws in shock, "It's back!"

"Hades deal is broken." Nick coughed, from the ground, "I got hurt."

"Oh Nick!" Judy cried, crouching down besides him, "Why?"

"I guess I just slipped." Nick said with a crooked smile, "I've always been clumsy." Finn found a few rags on the ground and tucked them under Nick's head to make the fox more comfortable.

"Go stop Hades." Nick ordered the distraught bunny, "He's the one who let the titans out. He's attacking Olympus." Judy opened her mouth to protest but was stopped by Finn.

"Go on Jude, I'll take care of him." Finn said sadly. Judy backed away towards Pegasus, keeping her eyes on Nick before hopping on the horse and flying to Olympus to face Hades.

* * *

The captured gods marched along the terraces of Mount Olympus, chained together and directed by Pain and Panic.

"Move it or lose it!" Pain shouted, prodding Hermes with a claw.

"Watch where you poke that thing!" The cheetah yelped, earning a laugh from raccoon. This was the most fun the duo had had in years.

"Y'know, I could get used to this." Hades mused as he watched the two titans bury Zeus further

"Don't get too comfortable Hades!" Judy shouted, appearing out of nowhere riding Pegasus. Hades spat out his drink in disbelief.

"This should even the odds!" She shouted, slashing the chain with her sword as she flew by. The chain dissolved as it was broken and the gods turned on Pain and Panic.

"Alright!" Hermes shouted, bashing Pain over the head with his staff, "Thanks Judy!  
Judy flew to the summit and dodged the attacks of the titans.

"Kill the bunny on the flying horse!" Hades yelled angrily, pointing at his nemesis, "Follow my fingers!" The titans continued their attack, but were completely ineffective, dousing Hades in lava and ice while Judy flew to the cone of volcanic rock where Zeus was buried. She jumped off Pegasus and ripped the top off, revealing the glowing form of Zeus

"Now watch your old man work!" He said with a hearty laugh, catching the lightning bolts Hephaestus tossed him. He threw two at the titan of the earth, demolishing one head and then the other. The other titans attempted to flee, but Judy leaped towards the titan of wind, grabbing the tornado by the base and using it to suck up his fellows. She whirled the tornado around her head like a discus before tossing it with all her strength into the sky. Judy and the gods cheered as the tornado exploded far in the distance, eliminating the titans forever. Zeus clapped Judy on the back, and for a moment, everything was perfect. That moment was shattered as Hades streaked by on his chariot, headed back to the underworld.

"At least I've got one swell consolation prize!" He shouted, his chariot coming to a halt in the air, "A friend of yours who's dying to see me!" Judy froze for a moment.

"Nick." She breathed. Judy sprinted to Pegasus and the pair flew down to Thebes as fast as they could. Pegasus landed heavily next to Finn and Judy jumped off. Finn looked up at Judy and just shook his head.

"I'm sorry kid."

 **A/N: I said I would get the next chapter out tonight, I never said it would have a happy ending ;) I'll get the next chapter out soon though. Also, to the guest who asked about Hades species, panther and leopard can be used interchangeably, provided the cat in question is black (which Hades is). To LordSheogorath123, first of all, thank you, second of all for a "The Little Mermaid" AU story, I'd have to actually rewatch the movie to see if the characterization would be right**


	7. Aftermath

"No." Judy whispered, "No, he can't be gone, we won. He can't just die!" Tears began to leak out of Judy's eyes as she mourned for Nick. Finn walked over to the bunny and tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry Jude." He murmured, "I wish there was something we could do but—" Judy's sobs of anguish stopped suddenly as the bunny's ears flew up.

"There is something I can do!" She shouted, grabbing Finn by the shoulders and staring at him.

"I don't like where this is goin'." Finn muttered, noticing the manic gleam in Judy's eyes.

"Finn, I can pull him out of the underworld!" She responded, ignoring the fennec's comment, "If I can get his soul and bring it back to his body, he'll be ok."

"Listen, Judy," Finn began awkwardly, "I know you care about Nick, but the Underworld? That's Hades' realm. He's not just gonna let you waltz right in there and steal his prize right from under his nose. And how can you even be sure that it would work?" Judy straightened her back and dusted herself off, a determined look on her face.

"I can't be sure until I try." She replied, ignoring Finn's concerns.

"How're you even gonna get into the Underworld?" He countered. Judy gave him a devious grin.

"I'll knock."

* * *

Hades stormed into the antechamber and let out a scream of rage.

"18 years of planning down the drain!" He shouted, blasting everything with a wave of fire, "All because of that one DUMB BUNNY!" He stood there, literally fuming in his anger, until he noticed something slip into the room. Hades smiled maliciously as he watched the Nick's soul drift through the room aimlessly, headed for the river of death.

"Nicky!" Hades shouted, "Long time no see! I really think you're gonna like it here!" The pale imitation of Nick showed no signs of hearing Hades as it drifted further away. He watched as the soul entered the river and joined the rest of the dead.

"That was not as satisfying as I thought it would be." He muttered bitterly, turning his attention back to the blackened room, "But if he's here, that must mean she's not far behind." Hades ear twitched as it detected a distant noise.

"Is that Cerberus?" He mused, trying to identify the ruckus, "Why would he be—" The wall of Hades' palace exploded, sending stones flying into the river and sending up a cloud of dust. Hades frowned at the bunny riding his enormous three-headed dog.

"There's something called A DOOR!" He shouted angrily.

"Where is he Hades?" Judy demanded, ignoring the cat's rage. Hades glared at the bunny, but his rage was quickly replaced by malevolent joy.

"Where's who?" He asked coyly. Judy jumped down from Cerberus' back and marched up to the god.

"I'm not going to ask twice." She growled.

"OH!" Hades replied, smacking himself in the head, "You mean Nicky! Here, come with me." Hades sauntered off towards a rocky cavern and Judy followed warily.

"As you can see," He began dryly, walking out onto a spur of rock that overlooked the river of death, "Nick's running with a new crowd." Judy spotted Nick's soul aimlessly circling in the water, getting deeper and further away.

"Let him go." She said coldly, turning to face Hades.

"Carrots, you are too much." Hades chuckled, "Why would I ever give you, the mammal who ruined my plan to overthrowing Zeus, any kind of happiness?" Judy glared at the smirking panther and looked back towards Nick.

"You like making deals," She began slowly, "so take me instead of him."

"Well that is interesting!" Hades exclaimed, "The soul of my greatest rival trapped forever in a river of death."

"Going once!" Judy interrupted.

"Is there a downside to this?" Hades muttered to himself.

"Going twice!"

"Ok!" Hades decided, "Ok, ok, ok, you get him out, and he goes. But you stay." Judy spun around and swan dived off the rock and into the river.

"Oh, you know what slipped my mind." He said, "You'll be dead before you can get to him, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM IS IT!?" Judy ignored Hades muffled shouts as she swam deeper into the river. With each stroke, she could feel her body weakening. She saw her paws begin to wither before her eyes, the fur falling out in patches and the skin becoming drawn and grey. She kept swimming, drawing closer to Nick by the second.

* * *

The three ewes stood together in a darkened chamber, a glowing window of light showing Judy swimming towards Nick, growing older and weaker each moment. One of the Fates plucked a strand of wool from her coat and stretched it out between her hooves. Another readied a pair of razor sharp shears.

* * *

Judy felt her body begin to give up as the river of death drained her. But she kept going, not caring if she had to die for Nick. Suddenly, his soul was within her reach and with the last of her energy, she grabbed his paw.

* * *

The Fate closed the shears with all her might, ready to claim another life, but they shattered on contact with the now glowing wool.

"What?!" She shouted.

"Was there something wrong with the scissors?" Another asked.

"The thread won't cut!" The other one shouted, grabbing the strand and stretching it out in her hooves.

* * *

Hades jaw dropped as he saw the bunny's paw grasp the ledge.

"This is impossible!" He stammered, "You can't be alive, you'd, you'd have to be a god!" Judy clambered out of the river, holding Nick's soul in arms and glowing with power. Hades gulped as he beheld the rejuvenated bunny.

"AAAGHHHHH!" He screamed, erupting in flames, "You can't do this to me!" Not—"

Hades was cut off as Judy backhanded him in the face.

"You know what," Hades began, rubbing his jaw, "I deserved that." Judy ignored him and strode towards the exit.

"Judes can we talk?" Hades rambled, "Your dad, he's a fun guy, would you put in a good word with him, help this whole thing blow over? Nick," He said, grabbing his ghostly snout and pointing it towards Judy, "tell it to her." Judy's eyes blazed with rage and she punched Hades so hard that he went flying into his beloved river of death. She allowed herself a smirk as she watched the panther desperately trying to beat off the spirits as he was dragged to the bottom.

* * *

Finn's eyes widened in surprise as Judy approached carrying a pale form. She walked to the fox's prone body and gently replaced his soul. The color slowly returned to Nick's fur and he opened his eyes.

"Carrots," He murmured, "how did you, why did you…" Nick trailed off uncertainly.

"Mammals do crazy things," Judy replied, pulling Nick to his paws, "when they're in love." Nick's heart swelled in his chest and he leaned in to kiss the gently smiling bunny, but before he could make contact, a lightning bolt struck the ground next to them and formed a cloud. The cloud carried them up through the air to the peak of Mount Olympus, where all the gods had assembled. Finn and Pegasus followed not far behind. The gods lined the steps leading up to the gates of Olympus, and at the very top stood Zeus and Hera. Judy helped Nick off the cloud and smiled nervously at him before looking up at her godly parents. She started backing away from Nick, his paw still in hers, until she finally turned around to face the assembled crowd.

"Three cheers for the mighty Judy!" Aries shouted as she began walking up the stairs. Judy blushed while the gods threw flowers and cheered, hurrying to the top so she could finally meet her parents.

"Mother." Judy said softly as she reached the top of the steps.

"Judy," Hera breathed, pulling her into a hug, "we are so proud of you!"

"You did it my girl!" Zeus boomed, slapping Judy on the back, "You proved yourself to be a true hero!"

"You were willing to sacrifice your life to save that fox over there." Hera explained gently.

"For a true hero is not measured by the size of her strength, but by the strength of her heart. And at last," Zeus continued, wiping a tear from his eye, "my daughter can come home!" The gates to Olympus swung open and revealed the heavenly vista behind. The gods rushed around Judy, welcoming her home and crying with happiness.

* * *

Nick watched at the foot of the stairs and turned away sadly.

"Congratulations Carrots." He whispered, "I bet you'll make one heck of a god."

* * *

Judy noticed Nick trudging away at the bottom of the stairs and extricated herself from the crowd of her divine family, turning to face her parents once more.

"Mother," She began awkwardly, "Father, this is everything I've ever dreamed of, but…" Judy hopped down the stairs and caught the fox by the arm, "A life without Nick, even an immortal life, would be empty." Nick's face lit up with hope as Judy spoke and he felt a surge of love for the bunny.

"I, I wish to remain on Earth with him." Judy continued, turning to face the fox, "I finally know where I belong." Zeus and Hera exchanged surprised looks, but after a few moments, they smiled and Zeus nodded his head in agreement. Nick's face lit up in a radiant smile and Judy kissed him, her godly glow fading away as she did. The duo finally broke it up when Finn cleared his throat pointedly.

"Oh." Judy blushed, noticing everyone watching them, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it kid." Finn chuckled. He walked over to Nick and held out his paw to the red fox.

"Bygones?" He asked. Nick nodded and grabbed his paw gratefully. Upon taking it, Finn yanked the red fox to the ground.

"If you hurt her again," He whispered in Nick's ear, "I _will_ kill you." Finn let go of his paw and smiled as if nothing happened, causing him to let out a nervous laugh. Finn and Nick walked over to Pegasus and hopped on. Judy gave her parents one last wave before joining them and flying away.

* * *

They landed in Thebes amidst thunderous applause for the beloved hero. Judy's face lit up as she noticed Amphitryon and Alcmene in the crowd and she jumped off Pegasus, yanking Nick with her, to meet them. She swept them up in a big hug and was about to introduce her foxy companion when Nick tapped her shoulder and pointed up. Perched on a cloud far above, Zeus was rearranging the stars, forming a portrait of a certain bunny. The crowd looked up and noticed the newest constellation in the sky.

"Hey," a bear shouted, "that's Finn's girl!" Judy looked over and noticed tears spilling from Finn's eyes as his hidden dream came true. She ran over and enveloped the emotional fennec in a hug. After a few moments, he fought free, only to be assaulted by Nick and Pegasus as well. Judy threw herself back into the fray, wrapping her arms around all three of them.

"We did it Finn." She said quietly, pulling them all closer, "We really did it."

 **A/N: Hey guys! This is the last chapter so I hope you enjoyed the story. I found this one to be the hardest to write so I apologize if it's bad. Anyways, thank you all so much for reading! (And please let me know what you thought of it in the comments :)**


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